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One of the big questions you likely have, of course, is what the heck happened to the

familiar Display Properties dialog box that’s graced every version of Windows from

Windows 95 to Windows XP? Sadly, that dialog box is gone, but pieces of it can be

found throughout the Personalization control panel if you know where to look. In

Table 4-4, we’ll show you how to find the different sections, or tabs, of the old Display

Properties dialog box, which have been effectively scattered to the winds.

It’s unclear whether Windows Vista’s approach is better, but if you’re looking for XP

Display Properties features, you really have to know where to look.

Where to Find Old Display Properties Tabs in Windows Vista

Display Properties Tab                                                     Where It Is in Windows Vista

Themes                                                                                           Control Panel, Personalization, Themes

Desktop                                                                                          Replaced by the new Desktop Background window, found at                                                                                                                           Control Panel, Personalization, Desktop Background

Screen Saver                                                                              Control Panel, Personalization, Screen Saver

Appearance                                                                              Control Panel, Personalization, Visual Appearance, Open classic                                                                                                                  appearance properties

Settings                                                                                     Control Panel, Personalization, Display Settings

The Desktop tab of the Display Properties dialog box in Windows XP had a

Customize Desktop button that launched a Desktop Items dialog box from which you

could configure which icons appeared on the desktop and other related options. But

in Windows Vista, the Desktop tab has been replaced with the new Desktop

Background window, which does not provide a link to this functionality. To access the

Desktop Icon Properties dialog box, as it’s now known, you must open Control Panel,

choose Appearance and Personalization, Personalization, and then choose Change

desktop icons from the Tasks list on the left. Some functionality, however, is missing.

You can no longer run the Desktop Cleanup Wizard or place Web items on your

desktop, as you could in XP.